Pouring ladle for metals



June 3, 1958 e. L. MCMILLIN 2,835,856

POURING LADLE FOR METALS Filed May 13. 1954 Z4 101,45; i A 25 5b m wa INVENTOR.

PoUniNo LADLE FOR METALS Gordon L. hieMiilin, St. Louis, l /Io., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite (Iity, ill, a corpw ration of Delaware Application May 13, 1954, Serial No. 429,546

1 Qiairn. (CL 22 -85) The invention relates to the art of pouring molten metal from large capacity ladles into a plurality of molds, one or more of which are of relatively large size and one or more of which are of relatively small size.

As illustrative of the field in which the invention may be utilized, reference is made to the pouring of steel castings weighing from five thousand pounds to onehundred thousand pounds or more and to the subsequent pouring of castings less than five thousand pounds in weight from the same ladle charge.

The ladles for the molten metal may have a capacity of fifty tons or more and the pouring of the large castings will require an outlet 3 /2" or greater in diameter to permit rapid flow of the metal. The molds will have inlets and the mold cavities will be of such extent and cross sectional area that they can readily receive the discharge from such a large diameter nozzle under the high ferrostatic pressure initially present in a ladle with the charge indicated.

Obviously the ladle must be initially charged with more metal than necessary to pour the larger casting or castings, and to avoid remelting the residue in the ladle it is desirable to pour one or more smaller castings. It is not considered sound practice or economical to pour the smaller castings with the large diameter nozzles.

The main object of the invention is to make it possible to pour the large casting or castings and one or more small casting or castings from the same ladle charge, thus avoiding splitting or transferring the furnace metal into two ladles of different sizes and with nozzles of different sizes.

This object is attained by first pouring a substantial portion of the molten metal in the ladle through an outlet of relatively large diameter, then interrupting the flow of metal and providing a smaller outlet and then continuing pouring the metal through the smaller outlet.

The accompanying drawings illustrate selected embodiments of structure which carry out the operation as described and in these drawings Figure 1 is a side view and vertical section through a foundry ladle, showing the combination of a large diameter nozzle and an insertible and removable small diameter nozzle, whereby the cross sectional area of the discharge from the ladle may be controlled.

Figure 2 is a detail section through the discharge portion of the ladle illustrating another arrangement.

The ladle 1 shown in Figure 1 is of a type generally used in the making of large castings and has a discharge opening 2 through its bottom 3. The ladle is provided with a discharge control mechanism including a stopper 4 mounted on the lower end of a rod 5 surrounded by refractory sleeves 6, the stopper being movable relative to the ladle walls and outlet by an arm 7. These parts and the associated structure are described in Karl S. Howard Patent 1,439,522, issued December 19, 1922.

The bottom 3 is provided with a well having an upwardly tapered inner surface, as shown at 3a. A nozzle 8 having a similarly tapered outer surface, as shown at 8a, is mounted in the well and held in position in the well with rammable temperature resisting material 12 between the outer tapered surface 851 of the nozzle 8 and the inner tapered surface 3a of the well. This rammable material may consist of ground fire brick and plastic fire clay. The tapered surfaces 3a of the well and 8a of the nozzle with rammable material between them hold the nozzle against dislocation upwardly. The plate 13 on bottom 3 and the shoulder 8b of the nozzle 8 prevent downward removal of the nozzle. The nozzle 8 may have an inside diameter from 3 /2" to 5 as is required for satisfactory pouring of relatively large castings. The upper rim 9 of nozzle 3 forms a seat for stopper i which is raised from the nozzle for pouring the metal and is applied to the nozzle, seating itself by pressure from rod 5, to interrupt the pouring.

A smaller nozzle or reducer it}, having an interior passage of from 1" to 2 in diameter, or any desirable size, is inserted into the opening in nozzle 3 and preferably has its exterior surface lea tapered upwardly to be received readily into the larger nozzle opening. if the large nozzle opening varies in size or shape due to preparing or cleaning, the tapered surface Ella will provide for only light pressure to be used in insertion of the reducer l t for a good fit. A high temperature furnace cement 14 is applied to the tapered exterior surface of the reducer before its insertion into the opening in the large nozzle 8. An example of such cement is that sold under the trade-name Setskold. Reducer 15} also may be provided with an internal tapered surface 1th) to provide a smooth fiow of metal through it with little likelihood of metal clinging or accumulating on the top of the reducer. The bottom portion of the reducer nozzle may also be reduced in outside diameter for a short distance to facilitate the use of a special mechanical device which would surround the bottom portion to hold it centered on the device and have the device bear against the shoulder file for pressin the reducer in position inside the larger nozzle. Enough cement 14 should be applied on the tapered outer surface Elia of the reducer nozzle it} to fill the. entire space between its surface ltla and the adjacent inner surface of the larger nozzle 8.

The apparatus illustrated may be used in following the method described by tapping the furnace to charge the ladle, it being understood that the stopper is seated upon the rim of the large nozzle 8 and that, at first, when large castings are to be poured, the small nozzle it, is not applied as shown in the drawings. The ladle is then moved to pour the large castings, and when not enough metal remains in the ladle to pour additional large castings, the stopper 4 is reseated on the large nozzle 8, then any metal adhering to the inner wall of the large nozzle is removed, and cement is applied to the supplementary small reducer nozzle 19 and it is inserted in place. The cement hardens quickly and holds the reducer nozzle 10 rigidly in place, and the ladle may then be used for pouring the smaller castings.

in Figure 2, a large nozzle 20 is mounted in the well 21a in the bottom 21 of the laddle, as is the nozzle 3 previously described. The rammable material for bolding the nozzle 21 in position is indicated at 25. The nozzle is provided with an inner bushing 22 of graphite for receiving the smaller nozzle or reducer 23, which is inserted into bushing 22 and secured by cement 24. Graphite bushing 22. is much denser than the relatively coarse, refractory material generally used for nozzles and hence there is less chance of picking away the material of the inner surface of the nozzle when it is being cleaned for insertion of the supplementary nozzle. Except for provision of bushing 22, the arrangement shown in Figure 2 is the same as that shown in Figure 1 and is utilized in the same manner.

It will be seen from this detailed description that the general objectives of the invention stated in the introductory portion of the specification are attained and that eflicient, economical use of a furnace charge lwhererboth large and small castings are to be pouned is possible.

' What is claimed is: x

A pouring ladle for molten metal having a bottom wall and a discharge nozzle both of coarse, refractory material, there being an interior bushing of relatively dense graphite lining the nozzle and having a downwardly flaring inner periphery, and a separate reducer nozzle inserted within the bushing and having an upwardly and inwardly tapering exterior periphery secured to the bushing solely by cement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 481,041 Mercader Aug. 16, 1892 1,439,522 1,507,852 Pleukharp et-al. Sept. 9, 1924 1,832,873 Milner Nov. 24, 1931 2,193,365 Cantoni Mar. 12, 1940 2,736,935 Shea Mar. 6, 1956 2,753,605 Carleton July 10, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 321,106 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1929 520,017 Germany Mar.'6, 1931 250,120 Switzerland May 18, 1948 22,746 Great Britain of 1914 GreatBritain of 1915 OTHER REFERENCES 7 Journal of Metals, April 1954, pages 443 to 446, incl. Pages 81 to 97, inclusive, Open Hearth Proceedings, Vol.33, American institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, room 905, '29West 39th St, .New York 18, N. 'Y., 1950.

Howard Dec. 19, 1922 

